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Weekly Contest: BlackBerry 8900 Unveiled
Over the holidays we got our first hard and fast looks at the next generation of BlackBerry, resulting in mixed reactions from the lack of touchscreen. Ever since the iPhone was announced, there was plenty of buzz at the prospect of a touchscreen BlackBerry to compete, but little hard evidence to suggest it would be coming coming right away. So, we’re looking at at least a device or two out of RIM before touchscreen BlackBerrys see the light of day, but that hardly detracts from the specs we’ve seen so far. By all means, this device, which we’re going to call the 8900 until something a little more official pops up, is very much the all-in-one that many existing users have been clamoring for: camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, and a full QWERTY keypad all under one roof. Nice, but is it really a big deal? A touchscreen would have been downright revolutionary for the generally traditional BlackBerry, and now that it’s been nixed until at least the next device.
This week we’re asking: is this new BlackBerry a disappointment? Is it just enough of an improvement to get your excited? Given, it’s hard to tell without having the thing in your hands, but the important details are now there and in the open. We can expect a few OS improvements, but will that be enough to really give the 8900 the wow-factor it might currently be lacking? Post with your ideas on the 8900’s impact, what it could do to really bust onto the scene in style, and other first impressions to win a free skin from DecalGirl, which is now supporting skins for the BlackBerry 8130 as well as the old Pearl and Curve.
Well, the last contest before the holidays had plenty of time to run, so let’s see what we’ve got. Dan was touting the Pearl as the biggest achievement this year, and it’s hard to argue with all of the great sales that went on last month. Bla1ze is rooting for the Curve, which managed to straddle consumer and enterprise markets, as well as the introduction of Wi-Fi. Kyle was most excited at the introduction of the 9000, and the upcoming buzz it’s bound to create. We’re going to give this round to Dan - we hope you’re right that the Pearl has put a dent in Canadian data rates, and that the change sticks. Thanks for entering, everyone, and we hope to see you again this week!
Posted by Simon Sage in Features, WeeklyContest
Comments [16 Responses]
January 11th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
I think the answer is yes. While the lines look a lot sexier, and it seemingly has the full-spectrum of features that have been split out across the various curve, pearl and 8800 models - as it says in ecclesiastes - there is nothing new under the sun.
Sheet metal changes and not having to choose between wi-fi and GPS doesn’t a hit make. I think people are already confused by blackberry’s 3 lines, and while the pearl and the curve shed a whole new light on blackberry’s range with their form factors and features, this is nothing more than a cosmetic upgrade.
January 11th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Yonah, a cosmetic upgrade? You cannot be serious! Not only does this new BB give us GPS, camera and WiFi all in one Unit, we also get a much faster processor, a larger screen for once, an OS upgrade, not to mention a slightly larger battery.
Yes, having everything now under one roof so to speak, IS new…after being told by RIM it couldn’t be done…and that alone will make it a hit, because the confusion that you alluded to will be a moot point for those that purchase the 8900. No, I’m afraid I have to disagree with you, in that a cosmetic upgrade is RIM announcing the 8830 will now come in pink. This is a whole new Unit with everything under the hood now. :o)
January 11th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
dont forget 3g
looks good but i expected better
i will still get one just to have the latest and greatest
January 11th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
guys guys guys listen! ask ur self why is iphone sooo hot? one word “touchscreen” simple as that! no body cares about GPS because now days everybody has GPS either their car or portable(its cheap too), n dont forget google map now has something close to GPS. so just go with the 21 century phone which means “touchscreen”
January 12th, 2008 at 3:57 am
I am a sprint user with the worldmate bb, but cannot wait until this unit is out for purchasing, used 2 use palm & I miss the camera. Hurry come out
January 12th, 2008 at 5:44 am
I don’t really see the need for a touchscreen in a Berry (at least not before it’s really nicely implemented), so the 8900 appears to be one hell of a great device to me.
With a 624 MHz processor, it ought to be blazingly fast, so my main complaint about the 8707 is done with. GPS and WiFi make for nice, questionably important additions with a high fun factor and low damage potential. The cam does position it near the 8300 series and might be a problem for some. If this turn out to be as nice as it’s made out to be, I’ll be obtaining one asap.
January 12th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Well, not only am I NOT dissappointed that there’s no touchscreen, I’m elated that there isn’t!
I’ve tried to work with Windows Mobile devices that are trying to be a computer in your hand, and it just doesn’t work for me. Touch screens just aren’t accurate for most things I need to do (no I do NOT have fat fingers), and I HATE having to juggle a stylus and a device.
I won’t even get into the fact that the biggest complaint about the iPhone is from women who can’t use it because their nails don’t work with it!
Anyway, I’m really excited about having not only the three big gadgets on one device (Wi-Fi, GPS, and Camera), but also looking forward to having both Voice and Data at the same time.
Bring it on!!!
Jerry
January 12th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
alas BB users still waiting on true HTML emails…more horsepower under the hood…nice….although I’m not too sure why people are so excited about the wifi and gps in one (8820 anyone?) add the camera now we’re talkin’ but wifi and gps is nothing new to the table (camera kills it for some corp. users as well, which where this device is gonna be marketed), leaving the touchscreen out on this one is fantastic, but don’t for second think that RIM has thrown that idea out the window, as for the “looks” of this device I have to say i’m NOT the impressed with it,I think it’s the keyboard that kills it for me, I hate the kb on the 88XX series and feel like a Curve kb would have been better placed here.
January 12th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
I have mixed opinions on the 8900, at first glance it does look nice and does pack alot of features under the hood, but does anyone else see a resemblance to the motorola Q9? slick lines, snazzy features and a bigger screen does not mean a hit.
on the other hand is this the path to newer devices, and with RIM now posting all variant features under one roof (ie. no more 8910 with GPS and 8920 with WIFI) will this lead to RIM’s consistant feature rich devices out the gate all the time?
only time will tell i suppose, but one thing is for sure i will wait till the 9000 series.
January 13th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
I say no. It believe it is a test platform to ensure the new processor and screen resolution are up to snuff…
January 13th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Sounds good. We are waiting on this model so it can be used on Telstra’s “Next G” HSDPA network in Australia (which is replacing there CDMA network at the end of the month).
In my opinion RIM have too many models on the market & the customer is also limited by what the carrier decides to sell. I think an all in one unit is great & look forward to the release of the “8900″.
However, the keyboard looks very similar to the 8800 which is not as nice to use as the 8300. I wonder why they would revert back to a keyboard that was not as easy to use?
As far as a touch screen is concerned; yeah I think it would be great, however it’s not practical for composing lengthy messages. An attempt to provide a touch screen with a slide out keyboard like the dopod would make to device to bulky. I personally don’t think a touch screen BlackBerry would make much of an imprint within the corporate/government sector unless they can produce a touch screen keyboard that can match the usability of the current 8800 & 8300 models.
January 15th, 2008 at 7:14 am
I have been holding on to a tiny hope that there would be a next g blackberry for me to upgrade to before CDMA closes but I fear time is running out and I’ll have to go non blackberry maybe motorola q9 or blackjack. What do people recommend? And can I just scream out loud and share my pain !!!! why do I have to suffer why couldn’t blackberry deliver a next g version in time - I’ve been a blackberry user since the beginning and quite frankly I am dreading the switch.
January 18th, 2008 at 9:34 am
[...] the BlackBerry 8900 is the biggest thing on our minds right now, but there’s still a lot of 2008 to look forward [...]
February 27th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
What is the obsession with a touch screen? Sure they are cool for the casual user but anyone who is serious about typing (which I suggest most Blackberry users are) will tell you that a plastic keyboard is much faster and less error prone than a touch screen. Do you stare at your computer keyboard when you type? Where you do or not you probably know how much it slows a typist down. Why would you want to be forced to stare at your phone’s keyboard?
Sure a touch screen is nice for other apps and gives you much more viewable space, but I say keep your touch screen on cute little devices like the iPhone and let users who send numerous emails a day from a phone use what really works well.
April 30th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
This is not much of a change other than the 3g….i think i will be buying the iphone in june and rumor is that it is thinner and only going to cost $199 through AT&T…that they are going to take some of the cost since the average iphone customer spends over $110 per month…..they get their money back quickly. With since a poor showing from blackberry they should clean up the market soon. You can only stay with a losing horse so long.
June 30th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
[...] mode to make software testing a little easier. Hey, speaking of the Javelin, we hear there’s still a BlackBerry 8900 out there, which could very well be the Javelin. Jibi also has it that the flip BlackBerry [...]
